“Practices being railroaded” into consortiums, GP leader claims

Tensions are starting to emerge between some grassroots GPs and pathfinder consortiums as the government’s changes to the NHS get under way. Meanwhile, a survey of GP pathfinder consortiums finds that many are planning to outsource areas of commissioning support to the private sector.

GPs in Buckinghamshire and Berkshire have told their local medical council that they did not feel fully informed about what was happening in their local emerging consortiums and complained of a lack of consultation on commissioning decisions.

At a local medical council meeting Bracknell GPs expressed concern that the agenda seemed to be led by a limited group of GPs. They also said they were feeling under pressure to join the emerging consortium. And they called for a clear divide to be established between any current and possible future provider organisations and the GP commissioning organisation.

Paul Roblin, chief executive of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire local medical councils, told the BMJ: “Some GPs in Buckinghamshire …